Aug 31, 2011

ALWAYS THE ¨PEACE AT ANY PRICE¨ MAKER: Is Rowan Williams off to assure President Robert Mugabe there are no ¨liberal attitudes¨ offered toward homosexuals at The Anglican Communion?

Dr. Rowan Williams plans visit to Zimbabwe
¨Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is planning to visit Zimbabwe in October as part of a wider trip to Africa and hopes to meet with President Robert Mugabe to discuss a brutal dispute over church properties.¨

¨The Anglican Church in Zimbabwe has been in turmoil since 2007 after renegade bishop Nolbert Kunonga, criticizing what he said were liberal attitudes toward homosexuality, tried to remove the Diocese of Harare from the Anglican Communion, the worldwide community of Anglican churches.¨ HERE

Excommunicated Anglican Bishop/Mugabe buddy, Nolbert Kunonga
Among the many brutal disputes:
The illegal seizure by excommunicated Bishop Nolbert Kunonga of the Arthur Shearly Cripps Shrine in Chivhu, Zimbabwe

Anglican pastors evicted illegally by Kunonga’s supporters:
http://relzim.org/news/2299/

The NY Times article on Kunonga deciphered:
http://relzim.org/forum/religion-and-society-blog/1442/

·  Thanks to Three Rivers Episcopal, sidebar
·  Thanks to ENI News
·  Thanks to Trevor Grundy
·  Thanks to Jim Simons
·  Thanks to Solidarity Peace Trust, Zimbabwe
·  Thanks to Owen Sheers, HERE

NEWS RELEASE BY THE NO ANGLICAN COVENANT COALITION: Coalition ¨Disappointed¨ by Background Material for Anglican Covenant Debate

No Anglican Covenant Coalition
Anglicans for Comprehensive Unity
 http://www.noanglicancovenant.org/
AUGUST 31, 2011

STATEMENT BY THE NO ANGLICAN COVENANT COALITION REGARDING COVENANT BACKGROUND INFORMATION PREPARED FOR THE DIOCESE OF OXFORD

The No Anglican Covenant Coalition is disappointed with the two-page introduction to the Anglican Covenant posted recently by the Diocese of Oxford on its website. Introduction to the Anglican Covenant Debate ( http://www.oxford.anglican.org/ ), prepared by Canon John Rees, is intended to inform the debate at the March 2012 Diocesan Synod. The Coalition believes that the paper downplays both the controversy surrounding the Covenant and the risks inherent in its adoption.

The analysis of the Covenant in the Rees document is consistently shallow and superficial. The Covenant is presented as minor tinkering with Anglican Communion governance, yet somehow still vital to the Communion’s survival. Even the observation that conservatives see the disciplinary provisions as too weak, whereas liberals see them as too strong seems designed as a sort of Goldilocks defence of the Covenant’s supposed merits.

The Oxford document is consistent with the general approach to promoting the Anglican Covenant in the Church of England by downplaying its significance while claiming that the survival of the Anglican Communion depends on its adoption. While the Church of England is preoccupied with issues such as women bishops, there is a serious risk that the Anglican Covenant will be adopted without adequate or informed debate about the document and the implications of its centralisation for the Church of England and the Anglican Communion. The consistent and erroneous depiction of the Anglican Covenant as largely meaningless and harmless only increases this risk. Comparable tactics were on display a few months ago in the Diocese of Lichfield, where pro-Covenant presenters were given extensive time to sell the Covenant prior to a short debate with alternating pro- and anti-Covenant speakers.

Oxford’s Introduction contains links to background material, but many of the references are official pro-Covenant propaganda from the Anglican Communion Office and the Church of England. Some warnings about the Covenant are found in General Synod debate transcript, however, and the Church Times Guide is properly characterized as offering “strong arguments for and against the Covenant.”

Unlike the background material prepared by the Anglican Church of Canada, Canon Rees references neither the No Anglican Covenant Coalition ( http://www.noanglicancovenant.org/) nor its associated blog( http://www.blog.noanglicancovenant.org/). The Coalition’s website includes all the references cited in Introduction to the Anglican Covenant Debate and more than 150 other articles. Ironically, Canon Rees does not even cite thoughtful pro-Covenant resources, such as the series being published by the U.S. magazine The Living Church (http://www.livingchurch.org/), which has offered a far more coherent defence of the proposed Anglican Covenant than anything seen from either the Church of England or the Anglican Communion Office.

Fortunately, members of the Oxford Diocesan Synod have time to educate themselves in preparation for the forthcoming Covenant debate. Members of the No Anglican Covenant Coalition encourage them to visit our website and search for other materials, both positive and negative, regarding the Anglican Covenant. The decision about the Covenant to be made by the Church of England is too important to be made lightly.

-30-

The No Anglican Covenant Coalition is an international group of Anglicans who oppose the adoption of the proposed Anglican Covenant.

http://www.noanglicancovenant.org/
.
The Revd Jean Mayland (England) +44 07966 921247
Dr Lionel Deimel (USA) +1-412-512-9087
The Revd Malcolm French (Canada) +1-306-550-2277
The Revd Lawrence Kimberley (New Zealand) +64 3 981 7384
The Revd Canon Hugh Magee (Scotland) +44 1334 470446

Aug 30, 2011

SANTORUM BLAMES HOMOSEXUALS FOR LACK OF POPULARITY: Compares Gay ¨intimacies¨ to polygamy, incest and destroying the family (no word on impact of nasty Heterosexuals)

¨The former senator doesn’t grasp the concepts of free speech and debate¨
 Withers:  Santorum´s cheese and whine

¨As reported by The Hill, ¨Gay Community on Jihad Against Me¨  Santorum was in South Carolina, looking for votes that aren’t there. He was speaking to a group of 50 and explained why the gay community hates him so.

“So the gay community said, ‘He’s comparing gay sex to incest and polygamy, how dare he do this,’ and they have gone out on a, I would argue, jihad against Rick Santorum since then.”

The use of the third person is precious. Bonus points for that. Everything else is quackery. The former senator doesn’t grasp the concepts of free speech and debate. He made a silly assertion (gay sex equals incest). That was pushed back against. In his world, once he speaks there should be no response. Especially from sodomites.

On a serious note, it reveals much about the dude’s mindset that he would use a term associated with terror (let’s leave alone, for now, how the word has been misinterpreted). He knows the language of the kooky wing of the Republican party.¨ HERE

·  Thanks to James Withers
·  Thanks to 365 Gay, NEWS, sidebar
·  Thanks to The Hill, HERE

Aug 29, 2011

The Terrifying Christian Right: ¨The gap between fundamentalist and fascist is narrowing¨


¨...The Christian Right’s assault on America is frightening, and, as someone who grew up in a world of religious fanaticism, my personal experience gives me a sharp sense of where this is heading. In his 2007 book, American Fascists, the Christian Right and the War on America, Chris Hedges describes what America would look like if evangelicals, or dominionists, complete their takeover of the American political system:

“America becomes, in this militant Biblicism, an agent of god, and all political and intellectual opponents of America’s Christian leaders are viewed, quite simply, as agents of Satan. Under Christian dominion, America will be no longer a sinful and fallen nation but one in which the 10 Commandments form the basis of our legal system, creationism and ‘Christian values’ form the basis of our educational system, and the media and government proclaim the Good News to one and all. Labor unions, civil rights laws and public schools will be abolished. Women will be removed from the workforce to stay at home, and all those deemed insufficiently Christian will be denied citizenship. Aside from its proselytizing mandate, the federal government will be reduced to the protection of property rights and ‘homeland security…’ The only legitimate voices in this state will be Christian. All others will be silenced.”

The takeover is well underway. As of 2007 Christian fundamentalists held “a majority of seats in 36 percent of all Republican party state committees, or 18 of 50 states, along with large minorities in remaining states.” Furthermore, “Forty-five senators and 186 members of the House of Representatives earned approval ratings of 80 to 100 percent from the three most influential Christian advocacy groups: the Christian Coalition, Eagle Forum, and Family Resource Council.” And, of course, the Bush administration “diverted billions of dollars of taxpayer money from secular and governmental social service organizations to faith-based organizations, bankrolling Churches and organizations that seek to dismantle American democracy and create a theocratic state.”

Some ominous statistics: “In fiscal year 2003, faith-based organizations received 8.1 percent of the competitive social-service grant budget. In fiscal year 2004, faith-based organizations received $2.005 billion in funding—10.3 percent of federal competitive service grants,” and by the 2005 the total was 11 percent. In addition, “the Bush administration has spent more than $1 billion on chastity programs alone,” and “thirty percent of American schools with sex education programs teach abstinence-only.” Matters have gotten far worse since the Republicans took over the House last November, with savage attacks on Planned Parenting and abortions rights...¨ please read it all, HERE
What Would Dominionists Do With Gays?

¨When Jesus came, he brought the kingdom of God and He expects His kingdom-minded people to take whatever action is needed to push back the long-standing kingdom of Satan and bring the peace and prosperity of His kingdom here on earth. This is what we mean by dominionism...¨ please read it all, HERE

· Thanks to Michael Moore, sidebar
· Thanks to Marc Adler
· Thanks to Warren Throckmorton, sidebar

NO ANGLICAN COVENANT

FEDERAL LAW ¨DEMANDED¨ IN MEXICO: "prevent and punish conduct homophobic antidiversas, anti-progressive and intolerant that generates an environment conducive to hate crimes."


Leija Herrera:  ¨A gay activist in Chilpancingo, the second-largest city of the state of Guerrero, Mexico, has been murdered in what is being called by social organizations, academics, writers, party representatives and activists "an assassination".

Leija Herrera, was the director of del Centro de Estudios y Proyectos para el Desarrollo Humano Inegral (CEPRODEHI, Center for Studies and Human Development Projects Inegral) and had participated in demonstrations, lobbied for civil unions and reported killings, discrimination and attacks against lesbians, gays and transgender people to the State's Attorney General.

His body was discovered Wednesday 4 May in the centre of the city covered in bruises, apparently caused by stones. Authorities suggested he may have been stoned to death.

Local activists have organised a petition to the State Govenor, Angel Aguirre.

It says that there is a "widespread climate of harassment and criminalization of the work of defenders of human rights in Mexico and the cruelty and brutality of the murder presents evidence of a homophobic hate crime."

The petition demands a prompt, independent, comprehensive, effective and impartial investigation into murder, an end to all forms of harassment against LGBT people and respect for international human rights and the work of advocates in Mexico.
The United States of MEXICO:  ¨They requested strongly to the National Council to Prevent Discrimination¨ (CONAPRED)
HATE CRIMES: "are clarified with the rigor and the definition of hate crime homophobic, lesfobia, biphobia and transphobia."
¨...They requested strongly that the National Council to Prevent Discrimination (CONAPRED) "launch in full force a national campaign against violence against LGBTTTI community, it has become urgent that all states have in the their penal codes hate crime law."

The march was attended by representatives of Amnesty International, the National Association of Democratic Lawyers, Agenda LGBT Fundar, Project 21, the Gay and Lesbian Business Association and Mexican ProDiana Association, among other groups...¨ please read it all, HERE

·  Thanks to LGBT Asylum News, sidebar
·  Thanks to Amnesty International
·  Thanks to Mexican ProDiana Association
·  Thanks to Leija Herrera, R.I.P.


ANOTHER GOP BLOCKHEADED LIGHTWEIGHT EXPOSED: “…an individual may occasionally rise to the top in spite of being an uneducated ignoramus”

Richard Dawkins Responds To Republican Rick ¨ignoramous¨ Perry On Evolution
Seems to me that ¨ignorance¨ has been the promoted/prefered standard for thinking ever since the Republican Party and Karl Rove invented a platform of greed, hate and deceptivity for George W. Bush.  Leonardo Ricardo

·  Thanks to Liberaland
·  Thanks to Alan, HERE

Aug 28, 2011

CHURCHES SHOULD PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE: ¨...as an institution that is indirectly supported by tax payers, it has no right to discriminate against anyone.¨


¨Tax payers should not in any way be subsidizing private organizations, particularly those who discriminate against others based upon affectional-sexual orientation, any more than we should subsidize any private organization that discriminates against African Americans or Jewish people. Moreover, why should taxpayers subsidize any private organization in the first place?¨ The Reverend Dr. Jerry Maneker, HERE 

·  Thanks to A CHRISTIAN VOICE FOR GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER RIGHTS , sidebar
·  Thanks to The Reverend Dr. Jerry Maneker

Aug 27, 2011

NOT SO FAST, EDDIE : ¨Pastor Long’s accusers break silence...¨

¨We've followed the Pastor Eddie Long case since it burst into the headlines and, thankfully, made some finally question the hypocrisy and motivations of anti-gay pastors.¨
¨The way I saw people stand up and applaud this man. [I thought] how dare you.”

Hypocrisy/Nausea behind the pulpit:  Pastor Eddie Long and George W. Bush  HERE 
¨It made many of us question the special relationship between pastors like Eddie Long and politicians. It reminded us how important it is to ensure the separation of church and state because in a theocracy there is no questioning what comes from the pulpit. Well, you can but those in the pulpit will usually ensure you are imprisoned for it.

Our community was somewhat disappointed when Pastor Eddie Long successfully, and quietly, mediated his case because we wanted to hear the truth about hypocrisy behind the pulpit. It was important to measure Pastor Long's words about same gender marriage to see if they added up, or whether his bombastic sermons were just the rantings of an angry conservative fundamentalist pastor projecting hatred for those who had the nerve to be honest, and do things he never dared? It is an important narrative to ensure those on the sidelines will evolve towards equality when the sad truth about homophobia, and pedophilia borne of religious sexual repression, might come spilling out.

From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

¨Ironically, the two young men said in an interview in Miami last week, Long often compared his young charges to David, casting them as metaphoric armor-bearers to the bishop’s King Saul. Now they were being portrayed as Goliath.

“I just got quiet,” Parris said. “I started crying. I couldn’t even stop crying because I was angry. The way he walked up [to the stage]. The way I saw people stand up and applaud this man. [I thought] how dare you.”

A year later, the wounds are still raw for both men who, with two other plaintiffs, sued last September alleging the charismatic pastor “uses monetary funds from the accounts of New Birth and other corporate and non-profit corporate accounts to entice the young men with cars, clothes, jewelry, and electronics.”

Yes, after the lawsuit was mediated then the alleged victims had to sit there and take it, or risk losing their settlement. Two of Long's alleged victims decided their silence isn't worth it.¨ HERE

·  Thanks to Timothy Beauchamp
·  Thanks to Americablog/Gay, sidebar
·  Thanks to The Atlanta Constitution

Aug 24, 2011

MEET APPLES NEW BOSS: “The most powerful gay man in Silicon Valley¨

Tim Cook, who is known to be quietly gay HERE
Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced today he was stepping down for health reasons – his likely replacement?

¨Tim Cook, who is known to be quietly gay. Gizmodo calls him “The most powerful gay man in Silicon Valley.”

Cook has been with Apple for 13 years and is currently Chief Operating Officer. He is well respected at Apple and in the industry.¨

·   Thanks to Gizmondo
·   Thanks to

The Republican party is homophobic: ¨What The Exclusion of Presidential Candidate Fred Karger Means¨


Fred Karger, The Republican ¨Gay¨ Candidate for President of the U.S.A.
A story today in the San Francisco Chronicle details the story of the exclusion of openly-gay Presidential Candidate Fred Karger from the California State GOP Convention.

¨...Fred Karger's exclusion is nothing more than homphobia, pure and simple. He's not being excluded because he's not credible. He has quite a resume in the political area. He's polling above with and above some other credible candidates. The reasons given for his exclusion on each occasion was different and does not match up with the argument that his is not a "credible" candidacy, unless Republicans define "credible" as including the phrase "not gay".

The Republican party is homophobic. Fred Karger is being excluded because the Republican party cannot stand gay people. And they know they can get away with it. The media at large doesn't see it as a major story because, duh, the Republican party is filled with homophobes. The words "prejudiced" and "bigot" apply here. But when you're gay or transgender, people wink and nod and smile to one another and say, oh, "he's not a fit for our company," and tell butt jokes in the back room after the interview. It's so endemic that it's not even really news. It's the same reason that you never saw newspaper stories about the exclusion of African-Americans in the early part of the twentieth century. It's not news. And homophobia is not news today. It's just part of the world we live in. That's why the fight for civil rights for LGBT people is more important than ever. We've just begun to make some progress, and we are far, far from the finish line. That's what the exclusion of Presidential Candidate Fred Karger means. And that is why his candidacy is so important for the LGBT movement. The treatment he's receiving is the treatment so many of us receive every day -- exclusion, pretextual reasons, stout denials of homophobia and transphobia, and winks and nods in the back room...¨  please read it all, HERE

·  Thanks to The San Francisco Chronicle
·  Thanks to The Bilerico Project, sidebar
·  Thanks to  Dr. Jillian T. Weiss

Aug 23, 2011

PETER MONTGOMERY: ¨Is anything more predictable in our current political culture than liberals being charged with religious bigotry?¨

¨Freaky and Dangerous¨

¨...It’s true that Christian conservatives “thrive in a mindset of persecution,” as Miller quotes HERE a scholar saying. That’s why religious right leaders have for decades been  criminalizing telling evangelicals that liberals and feminists and secular humanists and gays are hostile to religious liberty and are on the verge ofChristianity and dragging preachers from their pulpits and tossing them into jail. It’s ludicrous, though apparently still energizing.


But here’s the truth: religious right activists don’t need journalists portraying them as “freaky and dangerous” in order to see themselves as “political activists on behalf of God.” That’s what Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry and religious right leaders tell them they are, over and over again...¨  please read it all, HERE

·  Thanks to Frank Schaeffer
·  Thanks to Peter Montgomery
·  Thanks to Washington Post

Aug 22, 2011

INTERFAITH LESBIAN MARRIAGE IN CONNETICUT: Wright is Christian and Blitzer is Jewish so they had a ceremony with both a reverend and a rabbi presiding.

Country singer Chely Wright married Lauren Blitzer on Saturday, August 20th
"Country music has been described as being about God and family and country,"
  HERE
·  Thanks to U.S. Magazine
·  Thanks to Joe.My.God, sidebar
·  Thanks to Chely Wright and Lauren Blitzer

Aug 21, 2011

ATTN ARCHBISHOP DANIEL BUL/SUDAN -- ARE YOU ¨LISTENING¨ TO LGBT ANGLICANS ? ¨They anally raped me with the metal object that they used to beat me, all the time laughing out loud...¨

Freedom Sudan: "Start the Conversation about Homosexuality"

¨In April 2009 in Sudan, 11 friends and I were holding a private house party. Agents from the intelligence agency raided the party and took us away to an unknown location. Everyone was put in solitary confinement in cells.

The cells were very dirty and I was denied water and food for two days. In their interrogation they stripped me naked and began asking me about everything.

They wanted to know whether I am gay, who my friends, my family were and what were my political and LGBT association activities?

Then they started to hit me. One of them put a pistol to my head and said he wished he could kill me right away. They dragged me by the legs and strung me up, and hit me with a metal rod all over my body. They grabbed my privates and hit me there too. They anally raped me with the metal object that they used to beat me, all the time laughing out loud and mocking me asking if I wanted more.

By this time I was screaming from pain and I was bleeding and hurt I couldn’t even control my bladder. They kept at this until I lost consciousness.

I remained locked up for four weeks and spent another three and a half months in prison and while waiting for my trial in which I was expecting to be sentenced to death since I was caught “red handed.”

However some of my family members succeeded in smuggling me out of prison and then I escaped the country using a fake passport. My other friends did not have it easy either. Eight of them were flogged 100 lashes each while the fate of another three, including my boyfriend remains unknown...¨ please read it all, HERE

Are you listening?  Are you listening to the voices of the persecuted, the demonized, the tortured LGBT of Sudan?

Freedom Sudan HERE  is the only LGBTI organisation in Sudan. The organisation was formed in December 2006 and is considered illegal. Homosexual behavior is illegal in Sudan and homosexuals face the death penalty. A member of Freedom Sudan recently posted a video to YouTube encouraging the Sudanese people to start talking openly about homosexuality.
Rt Revd Daniel Deng Bul ,  Anglican Archbishop of Sudan

· Thanks to African Activist
· Thanks to Freedom Sudan

Aug 20, 2011

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. - Isaiah 5:20*

The Archbishop of Canterbury, The Sheer Hypocrisy of Rowan Williams, HERE
¨Woe to those who call evil good and good evil

...who put darkness for light and light for darkness......who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.¨    Isaiah 5:20*

·  Thanks to Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters (for inspiration)
·  Thanks to Alvin McEwen

¨Analyzing and refuting the inaccuracies lodged against the lgbt community by religious conservative organizations. Lies in the name of God are still lies...¨ 

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters, HERE

Aug 19, 2011

OMINOUS BACKGROUND: Michelle Bachmann‘s right-wing/hand Christian staffer Peter Waldron is credited with leading the faith-based charge in Iowa (and Uganda?)

Republican Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann
                     ¨GOD, GUNS and MICHELLE BACHMANN¨  

Michelle Bachmann staffer, Peter Waldron
¨You have maybe read about Michelle Bachmann‘s right-wing Christian staffer Peter Waldron. Her campaign credits him with leading the faith-based charge in Iowa this year that gave her a slight edge in the straw poll.

As so often seems to be the case with these outspoken preachers, though, he has an ominous back-story. He was arrested in Uganda in 2006 for running guns and ammunition. In a recent article in The Atlantic, Bachmann Staffer Arrested for Terrorism, you can read about the many theories about why he might have had assault weapons in his apartment in Kampala, suspicions of involvement with Congolese terrorists, and even the possibility that he was trying to set up a Christian political party to overthrow President Museveni.

Who knows what his real story is. I happen to know some people who lived near him in Kampala and went to his apartment one evening. The table was covered with pornography, and there were a number of attractive young ladies hanging around. I’m sure he was just talking to them about the evils of pornography.

One way or another, you have to wonder about a campaign that is being driven by people with such creepy backgrounds...¨ read it all, HERE

¨It is time to tell the mysterious tale of one Peter Waldron, American citizen.

He is 59 years old and listed as a resident of Kisugu, a suburb of Kampala (the capital), in Uganda. He was arrested on February 20 in his home for illegally posessing firearms and "180 bullets".

He has since been charged with terrorism along with six other men, 2 Ugandans and 4 Congolese. These charges stem from the allegation that he was attempting to hire/arm a rebel Congolese group to capture the Lord's Resistance Army generalissimo Joseph Kony for the 1.7 million dollar bounty money.

This is somewhat verified since one of the Congolese men accused along with Waldron is Dido Manyiroha, formerly (or currently) a leader in the Movement Révoluntionaire du Congo, one of the endless numbers of militias based in that country.

The theory behind hiring the MRC is that Kony and the LRA are currently somewhere in the eastern Congo (in the gigantic Garamba Park area) near the Ugandan border and that the MDC will be able to track him down there.

Apparently court is somewhat amusing to our Mr. Waldron:

Waldron, dressed in a black suit, white shirt and black shoes appeared calm and kept on laughing throughout the court proceedings.

The first question I wanted to ask was why was Peter Waldron in Uganda in the first place. Somenews reports say he was a "consultant" for the Ministry of Health's Information Technology Department.

The WaPo says he is an "evangelist" and has "close ties" to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's family, which they deny. There are also reports that he was trying to start a political party (currently illegal) based on Christianity.

There are also reports he wrote something unflattering about President Museveni shortly before the elections, which didn't help his situation any...¨ read it all,  posted  Wed Mar 15, 2006, HERE

Who the Heck is Peter Waldron?

It all begins with one question: What was Peter Waldron doing in Uganda with a bunch of guns hidden in his house?

The government of Uganda intends to find out, and so is putting Waldron on trial for terrorism. In the process of that trial, the American people may find out quite a bit about their own government that they don’t like.

Let’s list what we know about Peter Waldron, and then we’ll try to piece the picture together a bit later:

- Peter Waldron is from Wyoming – Dick Cheney’s home state

- Like Dick Cheney, Peter Waldron seems to be fond of guns. Waldron was found with assault rifles hidden in his bedroom by a crowd of Ugandans in his Kisugu home (outside Kampala) just after the re-election of Yoweri Museveni

- Two men were seen leaving Waldron’s house carrying a bag that contained two assault rifles just before Waldron himself was apprehended

- Waldron claims to have been working as an information technology consultant for the Ugandan ministry of health

- Waldron also claims to have been working as the publisher of a news magazine, the Africa Dispatch, but other accounts list Waldron as just a freelance writer and photographer

- The Africa Dispatch appears to be created in partnership with a writer affiliated with the right wing Reverend Moon’s Unification Church

- Waldron worked with a company known as the Contact America Group

- Documents found on Waldron indentify him as an advisor to the Rocky Mountain Technology Group

- Waldron is also the founder of a right wing Christian group, the Cities of Faith Ministries. The mission of the Cities of Faith Ministries is to expand and extend “the Kingdom of God on earth by teaching Biblical principles and precepts that build civil society blessed by the Almighty God of the Bible”, and justifies its work as “addressing God’s governments and a Believer’s Biblical responsibilities in society in which one lives and to the institutions that influence, and in some cases, govern the world’s society”, and writes in its central document that “The Bible represents the absolute source for the guiding principles and precepts for all governments in man (self-government), of families (family government), churches (church government), and for nations (civil government).”

- The Ugandan Inspector General of Police says that Waldron had links to an unnamed organization in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and “planned to set up a political party here based on Christian principles.”

- According to the Ugandan police, Peter Waldron was also thought to be a diplomat representing the United States government

- In an interview with the New Republic, a right wing American magazine, the following information about Waldron is made available:

— When the reporter asked about the nature of his work, Waldron replied “I’m not at liberty to say.”

— Some of Waldron’s work resulted in people getting executed by a firing squad

— Waldron claims to be a veteran of the United States military

— Waldron has visited the White House, accompanied by MC Hammer

— Waldron has been a syndicated radio talk-show host

— Waldron has been a lobbyist

— Waldron has worked as a political consultant for campaigns affiliated with the Republican Party

More, lots more, read it all, HERE

·  Thanks to Wild Thoughts from Uganda
·  Thanks to
·  Thanks to The Daily Kos
·  Thanks to Soj
·  Thanks to Irregular Times, JClifford

No ¨Gay Rights¨ in Kenya: 'HUMAN RIGHTS' is the word we need to adopt in our day to day use

Monica Kareithi is the Assistant Program Officer, LGBTI, Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC). She can be reached via the following address: mkareithi@khrc.org
¨I would like to inform all persons reading this article that there is no such thing as ‘gay rights’! I have heard this term being bandied about with such impunity that I am beginning to begin to think that we are fighting a losing battle! Why such harsh sentiments?  How do you fight a war, if you do not know what exactly what you are fighting for?

I think that there are a variety of misconceptions in the LGB – T and I community that there are specific rights that are entitled to members of the community because of their sexual orientation and gender identity. I must digress a bit and engage you in a discourse that has been in the forefront of most legal perspectives and this is the discourse around HUMAN RIGHTS. What are human rights? Human rights establish a common standard of how a human being should be treated. They are entitlements which inhere in every person from the moment of birth as a consequence of being human. They are basic standards without which people cannot live in dignity as human beings. These rights are legally guaranteed by law which protects individuals and groups against actions which interfere with fundamental freedoms and human dignity. Human rights are therefore not established by law. They are nonetheless expressed in treaties, customary international law and other sources of law. Human rights laws place obligations on States to act in particular ways and prohibit them from engaging in specific activities which violate human rights. Human rights force us to act responsibly to ensure that the rights of others are not infringed upon.

With this in mind, I think that it is apparent that these rights are granted regardless of your sexual orientation and gender identity. The mere fact that you are a human being entitles you to these rights. I fear that, the more the movement asserts their ‘gay rights’ the more they pick only certain specific rights that they claim. In essence, this only serves to further the stigmatization of the community. The society, wrongly so, assume that LBG-T-I communities are trying to assert rights over and above the ‘human rights’ that we are all entitled to enjoy. This misconception also serves to further isolate the social movement rather than form much needed recognition and association in order to build solidarity from other human rights organizations...¨  please read it all, HERE

·  Thanks to Gay Kenya, sidebar
·  Thanks to Monica Kareithi,  mkareithi@khrc.org
·  Thanks to Denis Nzioka

Aug 18, 2011

Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera: Passionate human being, daughter, sister, lover and human rights worker in Uganda

¨I’ve lived my life fighting for gay rights openly in Uganda and I’ve had to pay a price for that¨
Ugandan lesbian activist's powerful speech to Amnesty International (AI)'s International Council meeting in Geneva, Switzerland

¨...I am a very passionate human being, a daughter, a sister and a lover. Amongst all of that I am a human being who is willing to go, join other people in the struggle to work for human rights. And this time today I want to share with you my experience as a gay rights activist.

In Africa over 38 countries criminalise homosexuality. These are ordinary citizens who contribute to the development of their countries, but they are being criminalised simply for who they love and because of who they are attracted to. In Uganda where I come from, homosexuality is illegal and carries a maximum penalty of five imprisonment. However, in 2009 a bill was proposed in the Parliament of Uganda saying that life imprisonment is a very weak law to criminalise homosexuality and now they are proposing the death penalty.

I’ve lived my life fighting for gay rights openly in Uganda and I’ve had to pay a price for that. I’ve been evicted from house to house. My office has been evicted. I can no longer move on the streets openly. I’ve been attacked. And these are just a few of the things that happened to me and my community.

Early this year, I lost a dear friend and comrade, David Kato HERE. He stood out of the darkness to fight for the freedom and liberty of my community. The price he paid was to be murdered in cold blood during the day in his house. Just as we are still trying to deal with the tragedy, four months later a member of my community committed suicide because his family disowned him, his work sacked him, he had no where to go.

As if that was not enough, in broad day light a house of one of my members was set ablaze with letters left behind. That is just the beginning, they are coming for all of us.

Where does all of this homophobia come from. It comes from the press. It comes from the State. It comes from the culture and the religious institutions.

We are not scared. These are our lives we are fighting for. It is not easy and we are very aware of it. But we cannot afford to sit back there, because if we sit back there we shall have lost the battle for human rights. We are very aware that some of us may never live to see the freedoms and liberties we are fighting for today. But we are just honoured that we are part of this ground breaking struggle to make a better place for the future generations. Not only in Uganda and not only in Africa, but also in the world...¨ please read it all, HERE

·  Thanks to LGBT Asylum News, sidebar
·  Thanks to Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera, video, HERE
·  Thanks to 

BISHOP V. GENE ROBINSON: “There’s no doubt in my mind that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are part of God’s obvious delight in diversity.¨

The Rt. Reverend V. Gene Robinson, diocese of New Hampshire, U.S.A.
Robinson argues that with so many LGBT people coming out there isn’t a person left in America that doesn’t have a family member, co-worker, next-door neighbour or someone they went to school with that’s gay.  Laurence Watts

“There’s no doubt in my mind that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are part of God’s obvious delight in diversity. We see it all throughout creation, why wouldn’t we have it in humankind?


“I believe that the church has gotten this wrong, just as we once used scripture to justify slavery and the subjugation of women. It wasn’t too long ago in this country that women wore hats to church because St Paul said a woman’s place is to keep her head covered and her mouth shut! We kept women out of the ordination process because of that! Sexual orientation is something God celebrates and I believe that will become the mainstream Christian understanding before not too very long...¨ please read it all, HERE

·  Thanks to Bishop Gene Robinson, The Episcopal Church, diocese of New Hampshire
·  Thanks to BProud Photograph, Philadelphia
·  Thanks to Laurence Watts
·  Thanks to PinkNews.co.uk, sidebar



Aug 17, 2011

REPUBLICAN SANTORUM BLAMES HOMOSEXUALS: A society that´s broken disregards the family and doesn´t teach moral values and faith...

“Multiculturalism Threatens America,” this little (anti-)think piece whines and moans about how America’s not America anymore because it’s not Rick’s America HERE
¨It wasn't our economic policies, it wasn't the housing bubble, it wasn't unfunded wars, it wasn't greedy banksters, it wasn't tax breaks for billionaires... It was homos:

"Letting the family break down and in fact encouraging it and inciting more breakdown through this whole redefinition of marriage debate, and not supporting strong nuclear families and not supporting and standing up for the dignity of human life. Those lead to a society that’s broken.... If you think that we can be a society that [that] disregards the family and the important role it plays, and doesn’t teach moral values and the important role of faith in the public square, and then expect people to be good, decent and moral when they behave economically, if you look at the root cause of the economic problems that we’re dealing with on Wall Street and Main Street I might add, from 2008, they were huge moral failings." Republican presidential candidate, Rick Santorum, HERE

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum says the Declaration of Independence's 'pursuit of happiness' doesn't apply to gay folks HERE


·  Thanks to Dan Savage
·  Thanks to SLOG, News and Arts, sidebar
·  Thanks to Philebrity, HERE
·  Thanks to Right Wing Watch
·  Thanks to On Top Magazine, sidebar
·  Thanks to Carlos Santoscoy


Aug 16, 2011

UGANDA ¨KILL THE GAY´S¨ POGROM REFUGEE: ¨After leaving the camp, he found UNHCR in Nairobi, and eventually found safety as a refugee living in the U.S.¨

¨There are no Gay Rights in Uganda¨  Dyson escaped violence, rape and imprisonment in Uganda
Refugees from the past six decades, including Sudanese supermodel Alek Wek and Dyson, a gay Ugandan, gathered in Washington DC August 3/4 to discuss the challenges that refugees face around the world and to lobby Congress.

60 current or former refugees and asylum-seekers were chosen to participate in the Congress, the first to be held in the United States. It was organised by UNHCR to mark the 60th anniversary of the UN Refugee Convention...¨

Gay Ugandan refugee Dyson was selected and traveled from San Francisco, California. Dyson and a representative from Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration (ORAM) – an NGO that assists lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex refugees and helped resettle Dyson in California – met with staffers in the offices of California Senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein, and U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

"In 2009, when a strong anti-gay movement swept through Uganda," she says. "Dyson found himself defamed by the press media, due to his sexual orientation. To fight the harrassment, he decided to advocate for a stop to the violence and threats aimed at homosexual individuals."

"He approached radio talk shows as a medium from which he could address the issue. There are no gay rights in Uganda and on the way home from a live broadcast interview that was hosted by an anti-gay minister, he was kidnapped at gunpoint, told that he was a rebel fighting the government, and was beaten, stripped, and raped. Afraid to eat the food he was given because of fear of being poisoned while held captive, he became sick and contracted malaria."

"After days of torture, one of the soldiers recognized Dyson from his life as a gospel singer. The soldier helped him to escape. He fled to a UN refugee camp in Kenya but had to leave when other refugees threatened him because of his sexuality. After leaving the camp, he found UNHCR in Nairobi, and eventually found safety as a refugee living in the U.S." HERE

Anglican MP David Bahati, ¨Kill the Gays¨ instigator of Uganda
Some Ugandans think they must insist on exactly whom all of their brothers and sisters and fellow citizens must love. Heterosexual marriages or death? HERE

¨Pastor¨ Scott Lively, MP David Bahati
HOMOPHOBIA HALL OF SHAME 2011: This years inductees include two key players in the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009, Scott Lively from the United States and MP David Bahati from Uganda. HERE

·  Thanks to Lilli Tnaib from UNHCR in Washington DC
·  Thanks to Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR's representative in the United States
·  Thanks to LGBT Asylum News, sidebar
·  Thanks to Paul Canning
·  Thanks to  Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), ¨The Refuge Protection Act¨ 
·  Thanks to “Guidance Note on Refugee Claims relating to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity,”

Aug 15, 2011

GAY KENYA COLLABORATION : The StoryMoja Hay Festival Nairobi is a three-day celebration that will provide opportunities for the meeting of minds and sharing of ideas between storytellers and the public

Gay and lesbians to showcase at Hay Festival, September 2011
¨My Way, Your Way or the RIGHTS Way¨

The StoryMoja Hay Festival Nairobi is a three-day celebration that will provide opportunities for the meeting of minds and sharing of ideas between storytellers and the public. The Festival will act as a platform for readers, writers, listeners and thinkers and provide exposure to some of the world’s leading names in literature as well as some up-and-coming authors.

Last year, Gay Kenya was privileged to be host at the Q Tent—where Kenyan gay and lesbian artistes (writers, poets, thinkers, e.t.c.) got a chance to interact with participants as well as showcase their works.

This year, Gay Kenya, in collaboration with the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK) will be at the Story Moja Hay Festival from September 15-18th, 2011 at the Railways Club and will feature an event sponsorship and a booth where they will display their materials...¨ HERE

·  Thanks to Gay Kenya
·  Thanks to Denis Nzioka
·  Thanks to GALCK, Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya

Aug 14, 2011

THE GRAND BLUFFTI: ¨Though she has attempted to whitewash her previous image of a very conservative Christian with theocratic leanings, it is important that the LGBT community not allow this “whitewashing” to take place...¨

U. S. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R)
Bachmanns rise into the upper echelons of the Republican Party (and her rise as a serious presidential candidate) should give all moderates, independents, and liberals great pause.

Though she might attempt to style herself as a viable and mainstream candidate, her version of government is anything but moderate. Instead, it screams the elevation of one groups religious beliefs above all else, and that groups beliefs codified into law; and this, my friends, is what is known as a theocracy...¨read it all, HERE

Bachmann says she doesn’t ‘judge’ gays — except when she calls them ‘part of Satan’
“I am not running to be anyone’s judge,” Bachmann said, but Gregory did not let her off the hook so easily — “But you have judged them,”  watch the video, HERE

“If you’re involved in the gay and lesbian lifestyle, it’s bondage. It is personal bondage, personal despair and personal enslavement. And that’s why this is so dangerous...read/hear the real words of  Michele Bachmann¨ HERE

UPDATED:

Michele Bachmann’s Refusal to Answer for Her Medieval, Anti-Gay Views Is Getting Tedious

¨Uh, Michele, nobody is asking if you personally “judge” gay people, because we know that you do. And we’re well aware that you subscribe to the Christian equivalent of Islamist law, you know, the kind that teaches that dominionist Fundamentalist Christians are the only true and valid leaders, and that you have a responsibility to mold society, at a governmental level, to bring them in line with your screwed up religious beliefs. That is what people are asking you about, and the fact that you won’t answer is telling, as it reveals that you, on some level, understand that your views on these subjects are not socially acceptable to normal American voters, who deserve to know if a presidential candidate is trying to backdoor the citizenry into accepting a right wing Christian theocracy...¨ HERE

·  Thanks to LGBTQ Nation, sidebar
·  Thanks to Kyle Luebke
·  Thanks to Meet The Press,  David Gregory
·  Thanks to Truth Wins Out, sidebar
·  Thanks to Evan Hurst

Aug 13, 2011

ATTN SARAH PALIN, LIARS, BIGOTS/ZEALOTS AND POLITICAL GREEDSTERS: You´ll like reality, it just takes some getting used to (hopefully before the worlds middle class and poor have all been starved to death)


·  Thanks to The New York Times, July 24, 2011, HERE
·  Thanks to Congressional Budget Office
·  Thanks to Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Aug 12, 2011

MEET ¨BEYOND EX-GAY¨ PEGGY: ¨It has been 2 years since I came out to my family. They still love me very much...¨

Beyond Ex-Gay¨It has been 2 years since I started dating exclusively women¨
¨An ex-gay is someone — usually Christian — who believes that non-hetero sexual orientations and behavior are unnatural, sinful and require change. An ex-gay usually believes that a gay identity can be eradicated if one strived to understand, through ex-gay therapy, where one ‘went wrong’ in their sexual development as a child.¨


¨One of my prized possessions is a pair of sexy, slick, black stiletto-heeled boots. Very femme-fatale
Peggy´s Narrative:

¨As I type this up, I’m wearing a t-shirt pulled over a workman’s blue shirt, pop-collared, and my favorite pair of ripped blue jeans held up with a tattered cloth belt. Not exactly a model for femininity.

I speak English with the faintest hint of an accent.

I live frugally, probably a habit learned from my hard-working, white to blue collar parents, who immigrated here over 18 years ago. When we first got here, the Chinese evangelical Christian community opened its arms and welcomed my family into its folds. I grew up feeling loved, cared for, and have a lot of respect for the men and women who gave up literally everything, so that their kids could grow up in Canada. To my people, Canada is freedom from political oppression and post-secondary education opportunities for future generations.

I have heard my dad cry twice. One of them was as he told me over the phone, that he loved me; that even though work is so hard and people treat him so bad, that it is all worth it because I am working towards my PhD in Chemical Engineering; that he is tremendously proud of me. My mother and I use to have touching mother-daughter talks about men. Over dinner prep, mother and I have dissected the personalities of many of my guy friends, to help me find a good match. My mother has also gently explained to me what my future husband will expect from me.

It has been 2 years since I came out to my family. They still love me very much. My parents and I don’t talk about my love life anymore.

It has been 4.5 years since I admitted to myself my childhood crushes on women have stayed with me into adulthood. It has been 2 years since I started dating exclusively women. I finally understand why abstinence can be such a difficult decision. In between coming out and dating, I chose to live as an “ex-gay”.

An ex-gay is someone — usually Christian — who believes that non-hetero sexual orientations and behavior are unnatural, sinful and require change. An ex-gay usually believes that a gay identity can be eradicated if one strived to understand, through ex-gay therapy, where one ‘went wrong’ in their sexual development as a child...¨  please read it all, HERE

·  Thanks to Peggy
·  Thanks to Beyond Ex-Gay, sidebar, HERE
·  Thanks to Flickr Photo Sharing

Aug 11, 2011

ANGELFOOD FOOD BANK**: Comforting the elderly, the marginalized, the enfirmed at a small pueblo in Guatemala

San Miguel, The Archangel*, by Leonard Clark

Greetings Friends

In honor of the return/visit of Jenn and John Holden to Guatemala and in support of  The San Miguel Dueñas ¨Angelfood¨** food bank you are invited to a LUNCHEON on Saturday, August 27th in San Miguel Dueñas.

Please come and join in the festivities and the enjoyment of one another at the foot of the Fuego Volcano.



Last year, Jenn and John Holden, Juan Carlos Castillo, Tom and Elizabeth McCallaugh, Tom, Paul and Mom and I sponsored the first San Miguel Dueñas Food Bank party on ¨Boxing Day,¨ the day after Christmas at our home.  The party was a great success. Our intention was to gather food donations ( packs of rice, beans, sugar, cooking oil or pasta and the like) from our guests as they arrived for lunch and then donate the food anonymously after the party to the well-organized Church ¨outreach¨ service on the main square.  It worked!  The food was/is intended for folks in this community of San Miguel Dueñas who are elderly, shut-ins, in need of a little help and/or the enfirmed. 



Weekly, Fr. Carlos Enrique Marroquin and his Eucharist assistants visit the homes of the people who are unable to attend formal services and he offers them Communion and comforting individual spiritual care.  In addition, most of the elderly folks and sometime terminally enfirmed are also gifted with our food offerings, which are distributed by Fr. Carlos Enrique from all of the anonymous we´s.  We are thankful to be of service to this community and this next party on August 27th will be a continuation of our ¨Angelfood¨** Food Bank program.  Special attraction: This year Fr. Carlos Enrique Marroquin will be present to meet/greet and personally thank everyone...the food gifts will be delivered to the Parish directly after the party...every grain, every noodle, every bean, thanks to you, our generous friends.

PLEASE BE OUR GUEST

MENU
Cocktails/Greetings at 1:00 P.M.

· Rum, Vodka, Beer
· Fruit Juices
· Limonada
· Naranjara
· Soft Drinks
· Iced Tea
· Mineral Water

Note:  If you prefer wine please bring your favorite.

Juanchitos All-Central American Favorites:
·  Guacamole and Tortilla Chips
·  Mixed Nuts
Lunch is served 1:30-2:00 P.M.

Lisa´s Request Tostadas Spicey Beef and/or Savory Chicken
choice of salsas
Violetas famous rice:  with fresh veggies and chorizo
Leonardo´s EnchiladasCheese with Mole
Cindy´s Fruit Kabobs: Assorted Fresh Fruit
Dessert/PostreIt´s a surprise!
Coffee
Tea
Please RSVP:

Leonard Clark, Juan Carlos Castillo
santosiempre@yahoo.com
56568295 telephone (for easy instructions on how to find us)
in San Miguel Dueñas

* San Miguel, a hero in most religions as we have much in common:

Saint Michael the Archangel

A 13th-century Byzantine icon from Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai
Archangel
Honored inAnglican Communion, Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism, Oriental Orthodoxy, Lutheranism
Canonizedpre-congregation
FeastNovember 21 (Old Calendar Eastern Orthodox Churches) / November 8 (New Calendar Eastern Orthodox Churches), September 29 ("Michaelmas"); May 8; many other local and historical feasts
AttributesArchangel; Treading on Satan or a serpent; carrying a banner, scales, and sword
PatronageGuardian of the Catholic Church;[1] protector of the Jewish people.[2]

Michael (Hebrew: מִיכָאֵל‎ (pronounced [ˌmixäˈʔel]), Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; Greek: Μιχαήλ, Mikhaḗl; Latin: Michael or Míchaël; Arabic: ميخائيل‎, Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic tradition. He is viewed as the field commander of the Army of God. He is mentioned by name in the Book of Daniel,[3] the Book of Jude,[4] and the Book of Revelation, in which he leads God's armies against the Devil's forces during his uprising.[5] In the book of Daniel, Michael appears as "one of the chief princes"[3] who in Daniel's vision comes to Gabriel's aid in his contest with the angel of Persia (Dobiel). Michael is also described there as the advocate of the Children of Israel and as a "great prince who stands up for the children of your [Daniel's] people".[6]
In Hebrew, Michael means "who is like God" (mi-who, ke-as or like, El-deity), which in Talmudic tradition is interpreted as a rhetorical question: "Who is like God?" (which expects an answer in the negative) to imply that no one is like God. In this way, Michael is reinterpreted as a symbol of humility before God.[7][8]
Much of the late Midrashic detail about Michael was transmitted to Christianity through the Book of Enoch, whence it was taken up and further elaborated. Christian cultus devoted to the archangel was first initiated in the East, as a healer, at Chonae near Colossae in Phrygia and in the West, at the end of the fifth century, as a patron in war, at Monte Sant'Angelo sul Gargano. In late medieval Christianity, Michael, together with Saint George, became the patron saint of chivalry. Jean Molinet was one who glorified the primordial feat of arms of the archangel as "the first deed of knighthood and chivalrous prowess that was ever achieved."[9] Thus Michael was the natural patron of the first chivalric order of France, the Order of Saint Michael of 1469. In the British honours system, a chivalric order founded in 1818 is also named for these two saints, the Order of St Michael and St George. Michael is also considered in many Christian circles as the patron saint of the warrior. Police officers and soldiers, particularly paratroopers and fighter pilots, regard him as their patron. He is the Patron of the Catholic Police Guild. He is also a patron of Germany,[10] the City of Brussels,[11] and Kiev.
Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael. Orthodox Christians refer to him as the Taxiarch Archangel Michael or simply Archangel Michael.[12] Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventists, and certain New Age Christian denominations refer to Michael as the Christ Michael, or Christ before he became man.[13][14][15] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that Michael is the heavenly form of Adam from the Book of Genesis,[16][17][18] and that Michael assisted Jehovah (the heavenly form of Jesus Christ) in the creation of the world under the direction of God the Father ...read it all HERE)

** Angelfood Food Bank was conceived by Jenn Holden
(she has just introduced another one in Redwood City, California)